26 Feb 2022

Guildhall City of London, West wing

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Guildhall West Wing, City of London, England, UK

Guildhall City of London, west wing

Situated in the Moorgate area of the old City of London, near Gresham and Basinghall streets.

An extension to the original Guild Hall building which still stands, used for ceremonial and administrative purposes for the City of London and it’s Corporation.

Photo circa 1979. Scanned from a large format Vericolour negative.

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26 Feb 2022

Replica Stephenson’s Rocket steam locomotive

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  • Replica Stephenson's Rocket locomotive steam train outside Albert Hall, London. "Rocket Rides Again" celebration 1979.
  • Stephenson's Rocket locomotive steam train outside Albert Hall, London. "Rocket Rides Again" celebration 1979.
  • Stephenson's Rocket locomotive steam train outside Albert Hall, London. "Rocket Rides Again" celebration 1979.
  • Stephenson's Rocket locomotive train running outside Albert Hall, London. "Rocket Rides Again" celebration 1979.
  • Stephenson's Rocket steam train and spectators outside Albert Hall, London. "Rocket Rides Again" celebration 1979.
  • Replica of Stephenson's Rocket locomotive steam train with Albert Hall, London in background. "Rocket Rides Again" celebration 1979.
  • Replica of Stephenson's Rocket running in Hyde Park outside Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington, London, UK. August-September 1979. "Rocket Rides Again" celebration.

Full size replica Stephenson’s Rocket outside Albert Hall, London 1979

The original Rocket steam locomotive was built by George Stephenson, a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer during the Industrial Revolution, in 1829 at his Newcastle upon Tyne works.

In a celebration marking 150 years since its historic victory at the Rainhill Trials, Stephenson’s Rocket Rides Again captivated crowds in London. The event, held in August-September 1979, was organised by the Science Museum, London, and took place on a special section of track in Hyde Park, directly outside the majestic Royal Albert Hall on Kensington Gore.

This commemorative occasion celebrated the pioneering locomotive’s original triumph in 1829, where it was chosen as the most effective design for the new Liverpool and Manchester Railway. For a brief period, the public had the unique opportunity to witness a full-scale working replica of Stephenson’s Rocket in motion, bringing a piece of industrial history to life in the heart of the capital. It was a fitting tribute to a machine that revolutionised rail travel and laid the groundwork for the modern railway age.

This captivating moment from the Rocket Rides Again event is available as a series of prints from fiofoto.com. Bring the history and engineering marvel of Stephenson’s Rocket into your home or office, own a piece of this unique commemorative occasion.

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Photos circa September 1979, personal journal.

26 Feb 2022

Record #02

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Minster Rd, Cardiff, South Wales, UK. Street scene with snow during the severe winter 1975-76. The church on left is currently Parkminster United Reformed Church, 10 Minster Rd.
Minster Rd, Roath, Cardiff, Wales. Winter 1975-76.
Vintage black and white photograph showing a snowy street scene.

Personal journal. Many photographs were taken on the streets of Cardiff as a teenager in the early to mid 1970’s most of which have been lost (thanks Pickfords) and never made it to Australia.

Cardiff then was the Arms Park, the Hayes Island snack bar, wet fish at Central Market and a sarsaparilla bar full of cigarette smoke and old photos of champion racing pigeons tucked away down an arcade.

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25 Feb 2022

Fire Esplanade Hotel, Penarth, Cardiff

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  • Fire fighters on long ladders tackle the fire at the Esplanade Hotel Fire, Penarth, South Wales 1977
  • Fire fighters on long ladders tackle the fire at the Esplanade Hotel Fire, Penarth, South Wales 1977
  • People in street watching the fire at the Esplanade Hotel, Penarth, South Wales 1977
  • Members of the public watching the fire at the Esplanade Hotel, Penarth, South Wales 1977
  • People in street watching the fire at the Esplanade Hotel, Penarth, South Wales 1977
  • Fire fighters equipment and vehicles at the Esplanade Hotel, Penarth, South Wales 1977
Fire at the Esplanade Hotel Penarth Cardiff, South Wales, UK.

May 29, 1977. Fire sweeps through the iconic Victorian era Esplanade Hotel on the seafront at Penarth.

A large crowd gathered to watch the work of Penarth and Cardiff City fire fighters. South Glamorgan Fire Brigade, South Wales, United Kingdom.

Personal journal. Restored images from original transparencies that had deteriorated over the past 50 years.

The Penarth Times has an article regarding this incident on their website. (Link still active May, 2025).

After remaining empty for a few years the site was redeveloped as apartment blocks .

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15 Feb 2022

High Place #10

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  • Night view of Empire Cinema, Bong Bong Street, Bowral, NSW, Australia. August 2019.
  • View from Boolwey Street towards Station Street in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia.
10 Feb 2022

Theatre

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  • A stray domestic cat peers intently into a wired animal enclosure at the London Zoo, capturing a moment of curiosity.
  • Two Plains zebras standing together, their unique black and white stripes clearly visible.
  • An African and an Asian elephant restlessly pace within a concrete enclosure at London Zoo, 1979, highlighting the stark reality of captivity.
  • A rhinoceros leans against a textured brick wall at London Zoo in 1979, with dappled light highlighting its rugged hide.
  • An adult elephant at London Zoo in 1979, with its trunk extended towards a small group of captivated spectators.
  • A captive Grey Heron bird is shown perched on a metal pipework structure within the iconic Snowdon Aviary at London Zoo 1979. The bird, a member of the heron family (Ardeidae), is seen in profile, with its long neck and pointed bill silhouetted against the wire netting of its enclosure. The aviary, a notable example of modernist architecture designed by Cedric Price, Lord Snowdon, and Frank Newby, was a key feature of the zoo at the time. This image captures the heron's stately posture in a controlled environment, highlighting the interaction between a wild species and a man-made habitat.
  • A sad, small antelope-type ungulate sits behind a wire enclosure at London Zoo 1979.
  • A captive big cat, either a jaguar or a leopard, is drinking from a pond in a caged enclosure, seen through the wires. London Zoo 1979.
  • London Zoo 1979. A pair of monkeys behind bars in their cage, looking out at the viewer.
  • Madagascar Ring-Tailed Lemur, Lemur catta, peering through the wire mesh of its enclosure at London Zoo, 1979.
  • Top-down view of a single Capybara at London Zoo, a semi-aquatic rodent seated on gravel, looking calmly at the camera.
  • Close-up portrait of a wise, old elephant from London Zoo in 1979, with a sharp focus on its expressive eye, impressive tusk, and deeply wrinkled skin.
  • A group of excited zoo visitors at London Zoo in 1979, captivated by an animal they are observing. In the foreground, two men lean intently against a wall, their gazes fixed on the enclosure. Behind them, other visitors, walk by. The scene captures the timeless wonder and fascination of a day out at the zoo.
  • A rhinoceros at London Zoo in 1979, captured in strong directional sunlight, highlighting its textured skin and casting deep shadows.
  • A Bactrian camel with a shaggy brown winter coat stands in its London Zoo shelter in 1979, with a wire barrier in the foreground.
  • A candid shot of visitors, including children and adults, watching an animal enclosure at London Zoo in 1979. A man with a camera turns to face the photographer.
  • A thoughtful Orangutan at the London Zoo in 1979. The animal's expressive, soulful eyes are the central focus, peering directly at the viewer through the stark, crisscrossing pattern of a wire mesh fence. The image, part of the "Theatre" photo series, conveys a sense of introspection and confinement, inviting viewers to contemplate the existence of the animal in a captive environment.
London 1979

Theatre ~ a place where performers engage an audience through dramatic and other captivating spectacles.

4 Feb 2022

Waterloo Gardens Penylan Cardiff, Wales

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  • Snowy scene. Lane at rear of Waterloo Gardens adjacent to the field and Roath Brook. Penylan, Cardiff, Wales, UK. Winter 1975-6.
  • Snowy winter scene of the lane behind Waterloo Gardens, Cardiff, Wales, UK with a field and Roath Brook visible. Winter 1975-6.
  • Snowy scene. Lane at rear of Waterloo Gardens adjacent to the field and Roath Brook. Penylan, Cardiff, Wales, UK. Winter 1975-6.
Snow scenes. Photo images, Waterloo Gardens, Penylan, Cardiff, South Wales, UK.

These photographs capture snow during the notably cold winter of 1975-76. Back lane behind Waterloo Gardens, Cardiff adjacent to the recreation field and Roath Brook.

The Welsh capital has many local streets named after 19th century English military campaigns such as Waterloo Gardens, Stallcourt Ave, Sandringham Rd, Kimberley Rd, Blenheim Rd.

Personal journal

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